Three Sisters Viewpoint | Fremont Hwy | Cabin Lake | Cascade Lakes Hwy 8/8-9--6 Year Birds

Cassin's Finch, Cabin Lake

As a tour progresses, it, of course, gets more difficult to add birds to the list. The last two days, operating out of Sisters, were spent looking for specific species. Dave has an amazing ability to spot birds while driving, so, as we drove to Cabin Lake, he spotted Black-billed Magpies along the highway and conveniently, there was a pull-off--Three Sisters Viewpoint (the three sisters are mountains)--and the whole group was able to see a half-dozen of them flying in and out of trees. About an hour and a half later, he spotted Mountain Bluebirds along a fence-line on Fremont Highway in La Pine. Both corvids were welcome additions to the list. 

Guzzler

Our destination that day was Cabin Lake. They have a very expansive definition of "lake" out there, because it was about the driest place we'd been the whole trip. The attraction was "the guzzler," which was not the water feature I imagined. I thought it would be some sort of permanent fountain to which birds would flock. Instead, it was a DIY waterhole. They provide the cement basin, you provide the water, dripping out of a gallon jug. There were a couple of blinds to watch the birds come in. In the half-hour that Shari & I sat in the blind, we saw lots of Cassin's Finches, a few Mountain Bluebirds, and one Clark's Nutcracker. Meh. 

In the background there was a crackling sound, as from a downed electric line. It was coming from the hundreds of grasshoppers in the brush. I wish I could upload the recording I made. 

Mountain Bluebird, Cabin Lake

We took a short walk along one of the trails and on the way back, Dave spotted a Gray Flycatcher which flew off for a bit, but we finally tracked it down. As you can tell from the name, not much of a bird to look at, but a year bird nevertheless. As we were driving out along a dirt road, Dave suddenly halted the van--the birds he'd been hoping to find as we walked the trail--Pinyon Jays--were making noise in the pines. The only other time I've seen Pinyon Jays, in New Mexico, was a similar experience--the guide slammed on the brakes (Dave gently rolled to a stop), yellow out "Pinyon Jays" and a flock of 6 flew over the road. This time we were luckier in that there was a huge flock--25 to 40 of them--and we able to get good few of them as they sat in the pines for a moment or two. Pinyon Jays are notorious for wandering--it is a classic case of their life lines intersecting your life line. You just have to be lucky. 

The last day of the trip the target bird was Three-toed Woodpecker. Dave had heard that they could be found at Elk Lake, but we dipped there, and we didn't see any at Hosmer Lake either, alas. That would have been a life bird. I suppose I could always go to upstate New York to search for one. The only year birds we added on the 9th were Sandhill Cranes in a field along the Cascade Lakes Highway and a few Pine Siskins flying overhead. 

After that, we made the long trip back to Portland. I imagine that over the 9 days of the trip, we drove well over a thousand miles. Oregon is now 4th on my state list, trailing only New Jersey, New York, and Delaware. 

Government Camp Rest Stop